Betty Chambers Has Spoken

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Health Issue: Salt, Sodium and Exercise
Monday, April 28, 2008

During the winter I watch what I eat, yet I rarely exercise. I stop around the time I need to see a doctor regarding respiratory or bronchial problems. I was rather good at keeping my weight down. Yet, come Spring it jumps up a bit.

I've been walking since February, but haven't made much headway. Daily, or every other day, I strive to walk 1 hour and 45 minutes. I don't walk for speed. I walk for distance.

As of late, I've been ingesting too much salt.

It's because I love soup. It's a great meal to me. I know exactly how many calories I've eaten. However, according to nutritionists I've read, soup is one of the worse foods to eat. It is high in sodium.

Reluctantly, I have to find another warm food substitute. I can't stand a lot of cold foods, and most "healthy" meals seem to be.

I try to drink a lot of water. Although I know I could never drink enough water, depleted by daily walks, to replenish fluids, or dilute sodium levels.

Salt intake should not exceed 1,500 milligrams a day.

Salt is everywhere. It's in carbonated water. It's in seasonings. It's in my low fat fake milk, which also has a ton of sugar. It's in my oatmeal. I wonder if Sea Salt makes a difference? Is vinegar acceptable? Oh well. Gotta research that. I'll write about Sea Salt later.

I have an incredible craving and taste for acidic, salty, bitter and spicy foods. If I have any craving for sugar at all I just know I'm hungry. With the cravings for salt I'm not even sure what that means.

I can't play around with my health regarding this issue. High blood pressure runs in my family.

My remedy for this situation? Keep track of the salt, and drink more water. Overall, my goal is to get fit, then skinny without being rash, drastic, or harsh.

Labels: exercise, health, high blood pressure, salt, sodium, water, weight

posted by GoldenAh

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Weight Loss: More Water
Monday, October 22, 2007

Whenever the digital scale starts creeping up - I drink more water. I do this to make it easier for me to lose weight.

By the way, the digital scale is a remarkable thing! I love its accuracy. On the older models, it looks like one has gained a pound overnight. Not so! You get to see down to ounce (or kilograms) how much food is still sitting in your body.

It may seem that drinking water would make one heavier the next day, but let's look at it this way: the body needs help eliminating wastes.

I maintain a relatively flat stomach this way. The best advice I read was that your urine should be clear, not thick and almost syrupy.

I drink a few glasses of water before I begin to eat. I'm less hungry when I do this and feel full sooner.

We are made up of a lot of water, over 90%. Make sure the body is getting all the liquids it needs.

Labels: water, weight

posted by GoldenAh

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